KNOXVILLE – There are more than a dozen head-coaching vacancies in college football right now, but the coaching carousel gets going only when some of those are filled.
There are coaching staffs to complete and position coaches and coordinators to hire, which means there’s the chance those newly hired coaches may try to poach some of Tennessee’s assistant coaches.
Staff stability has been the trend for Butch Jones at each of his three stops as a head coach and the Volunteers have made just two changes since his arrival after the 2012 season, but it’s possible some of Tennessee’s assistant coaches could hear their phones ring with interest from elsewhere in the coming weeks.
“When they get phone calls, to me that’s a compliment to the program,” Jones said Tuesday. “Everyone around the country understands what we’re building here and the progress that we’ve made so far. So to me, I take that as a compliment.
“If a coach has an opportunity to better himself, better his family – something that really fits his career goals – I’m always going to be supportive. Obviously I’ll speak my opinion. We’ve been together for a very long time. I’ll point out the pluses and minuses. When they come after your coaches, I think that’s an overall compliment to your football program.
“And we have some very good football coaches here, and even better people.”
When he was hired, Jones retained Jay Graham as Tennessee’s running back coach from the previous staff, but Graham left the following March for Florida State and was replaced by Robert Gillespie, who’s thrived for the Vols.
Last January offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian left the Vols to become the quarterbacks coach for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucs, and Jones tabbed Mike DeBord as his replacement.
Jones said he’ll evaluate his coaching staff with a set criteria and meet with each coach individually this month.
“If there’s some areas we need to improve on,” he added, “obviously as the caretaker of Tennessee football, I have to make sure that we’re ensuring this football program for long-term success.”
About 2016
Three key Tennessee defensive players face possible decisions about next season.
Injured defensive end Curt Maggitt may pursue an NCAA waiver granting him a sixth year of eligibility after missing all of the 2013 season and nearly all of this season, and cornerback Cameron Sutton and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin could jump to the NFL.
“We still have time,” Jones said. “We’ll provide the necessary means (with) the resources and all the NFL personnel that we have on our staff and also the relationships that we have at the next level. It’s educating your players to make the best possible decisions for them and their careers and the longevity of their careers and their families.”
Jones said there’s been no significant discussion with Sutton and Reeves-Maybin about what they want to do and there’s no timetable on when they may make their decisions.
Maggitt is scheduled to visit some doctors in Nashville next week to get an update on his hip injury, and the first step in deciding his future is whether he’d want to spend another year in college or pursue the NFL.
“We’ll continue to have dialogue,” Jones said.
Transfer talk
Ten players, including five 2014 signees, transferred from Tennessee between the end of the regular season and the start of spring practice a year ago.
The trend is growing in college football, and Jones was asked how he handles those situations when players may want to leave for another program or explore their options.
“It almost gets to the point where you’re recruiting more of your current team than you are your prospective team with prospective student-athletes,” he said. “I think it’s just talking and having open dialogue.
“It has been kind of the age of the transfer, and I think that’s just part of the generation in society that you always think that it’s better somewhere else or you can go somewhere and maybe play more.
“We’ll sit down, if there’s anyone (wanting to transfer). We’ll have those conversations. We’ll map out their future, their career here, the things they need to do to continue to improve. But it is reality, it is part of our profession and it’s not just at Tennessee. It’s everywhere across the country, and every coach has to deal with it. I deal with it with face-to-face communication. I love our players. I love everyone in our program, and it’s all about a great fit for them and trying to continue to improve them on a daily basis.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.